How about Mr X ? What was his name again? Miller Barber I believe.
When I am asked similar things I usually say - if you wanted an Opera house designed would you get Pavarotti to do it? (despite the fact he's dead now)
Neil....I very much like designing structures too, and assuming Pavarotti were still alive and wanted to build an Opera house I would love to:
Help him select a suitable site and develop a workable site plan that met the usage requirements, relative costs and proper site orientation.
I would help him sort through his likes, and equally important his dislikes, of all the Opera houses that he had performed in around the world. I would draw concept floor plans, building sections, and interior and exterior elevations so that we could come up with a design consensus of what we want to build.
I would want him be involved in the working drawing phase to help hardline the myriad of details that can occur during that part of design development.
It would be great if he could be there for groundbreaking....but even more important that he be around periodically during the construction phase, because no matter what we drew and imagined on paper, the project can only get better by time spent on site. I would also tell him that if changes are to occur, they need to be identified as early on as possible.....because we are not going to go back and tear a lot of stuff out.
I definitely would want him to spend time on the interiors finishes and fixtures, as this is what fleshes a structure out, creates the atmosphere and feeling, and is what most people react to......I would help him select through the various options of good taste and design. I would want this building to represent the closest expression of what he felt an Opera house should be.
And once all this is completed, and on the Opera houses opening night, I would expect to be in a suitable well stocked balcony, so that I could assess the public's reaction, and continue to learn for myself from their likes and dislikes.
Yeah....that would be a lot of fun.